Technology
Ukraine receives Starlink internet equipment from Elon Musk
On Feb. 26, the Vice Prime Minister tagged Musk on Twitter and made an impassioned plea for Starlink access in the face of Russian occupation and missile attacks. Musk answered and said he would help, and has kept his promise.
February 28, 2022 6:22pm
Updated: March 1, 2022 1:18pm
The Ukrainian official who made a direct appeal to SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk for access to his Starlink satellite internet service announced Monday he had received the equipment to get it up and running.
Mykhailo Fedorov, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, posted a photo of the equipment in the back of a truck in a tweet thanking Musk.
“Starlink – here. Thanks, @elonmusk,” Federov wrote.
Starlink — here. Thanks, @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/dZbaYqWYCf
— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) February 28, 2022
“You are most welcome,” Musk wrote in a reply to the tweet.
You are most welcome
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 28, 2022
The equipment arrived about 48 hours after the SpaceX CEO promised that more of the required Starlink terminals were “en route.”
Starlink is a satellite constellation, or network, in low Earth orbit that provides broadband internet through transceivers on the ground called “terminals,” which look like rooftop satellite TV dishes. The boxes appear to be Starlins kits that include a terminal, a mounting tripod and a Wi-Fi router to share the internet connection, reported CNBC.
A Ukrainian user confirmed that Starlink was up and running, posting a internet speed test on Twitter.
Success!
— Oleg Kutkov (@olegkutkov) February 28, 2022
SpaceX Starlink is working in Kyiv, Ukraine!
The Dishy was placed just outside my window, even without adjustments.
Thanks, @SpaceX team, for your support :)
cc @FedorovMykhailo pic.twitter.com/oX09RL5wBh
On Feb. 26, the Vice Prime Minister tagged Musk on Twitter and made an impassioned plea for Starlink access in the face of Russian occupation and missile attacks.
Federov is also the Digital Transformation Minister of Ukraine responsible for technology-related tasks like assembling a cyber defense team against Russian hackers. His cryptocurrency fundraising has yielded almost $13 billion.
